Nansei Islands

The Nansei Islands (南西諸島, Nansei-shotō^?) (literally Southwest Islands) refer to the groups of islands of Japan that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan. Except the outlying Daitō Islands, the islands form a chain of islands, the Ōsumi, Tokara and Amami Islands (collectively called the Satsunan Islands), and Okinawa and Sakishima Islands (the Ryukyu Islands). Yoron Island is the southernmost island of the Satsunan Islands, and Yonaguni is the southernmost of the Ryukyu Islands. Administratively, the islands are divided into Kagoshima Prefecture in the north and Okinawa Prefecture in the south. The largest of the islands is Okinawa Island (沖縄本島, Okinawa-hontō^?).

Except the Daitō Islands, the Nansei Islands have two major structural boundaries, the Tokara Strait and the Kerama Gap. Accordingly, they can be divided into three groups. The northern group falls into the cultural sphere of Kyūshū. The central and southern groups are characterized by coral reefs. The native population of the central and southern groups are collectively called Ryukyuans but show a great degree of internal diversity. The outlying Daitō Islands were uninhabited for a long time. Its development was started mainly by people from the Izu Islands in 1900s.

Major islands

• Nansei Islands^[1]
  • Satsunan Islands (Kagoshima Prefecture)
    • Ōsumi Islands with:
      • Tanegashima, Yakushima, Kuchinoerabujima, Mageshima in the North-Eastern Group,
      • Takeshima, Iojima, Kuroshima in the North-Western Group.
    • Tokara Islands (The Shichi-tō): Kuchinoshima, Nakanoshima, Gajajima, Suwanosejima, Akusekijima, Tairajima, Kodakarajima, Takarajima
    • Amami Islands: Amami Ōshima, Kikaijima, Kakeromajima, Yoroshima, Ukeshima, Tokunoshima, Okinoerabujima, Yoronjima
  • Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa Prefecture)
    • Okinawa Islands: Okinawa Island (aka. Okinawan mainland, Okinawa hontō), Kumejima, Iheyajima, Izenajima, Agunijima, Iejima, Iwo Tori Shima (Iōtorishima) [1]
      • Kerama Islands: Tokashiki, Zamami, Aka, Gerumajima
    • Sakishima Islands ("Further Isles")
      • Miyako Islands: Miyakojima, Ikema, Ōgami, Irabu, Shimoji, Kurima, Minna, Tarama
      • Yaeyama Islands: Iriomote, Ishigaki, Taketomi, Kohama, Kuroshima, Aragusuku, Hatoma, Yubujima, Hateruma, Yonaguni
      • Senkaku Islands (claimed by the PRC and the ROC): Uotsurijima, Kuba Jima, Taisho Jima, Kita Kojima, Minami Kojima
  • Daitō Islands (Okinawa Prefecture): Kitadaitō, Minamidaitō, Oki Daitō

For some of the island names above, the suffix -jima, -shima, and -gashima can be interchanged, omitted, or appended. The suffix means "island." In general, the islands are listed from north to south where possible.

See also

• Nanpō Islands

References